Two people have been killed in a mid-air crash involving a training aircraft and a passenger plane in Kenya, police say.

The aircraft collided above Nairobi National Park in the capital, sending the smaller plane crashing down.

The bigger plane, a Dash 8 operated by Safarilink Aviation, had 44 people on board, including five crew.

It was heading to the coastal tourist resort town of Diani when crew reported a loud bang soon after take-off from Wilson Airport and decided to turn back, the airline reported.

“I can confirm a student and a trainer [on the training aircraft]… died during the incident,” Nairobi county police commander Adamson Bungei told Reuters news agency.

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The plane belonging to a flight school and the Safarilink passenger aircraft collided at 10.05am (7.05am GMT), Kenya’s Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement.

An investigation has been launched.